Stripper tong



March 28, 1944. w. w. GROSSETT STRIPPER TONG Filed April 23, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet l W. W. GROSSETT Filed April 25, 1942 2 sheets'sheet 2 X 4.K M

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Patented Mar. 28, 1944 UNITED STATE STRIPPER TONG William W. Grossett,uiihan. Pa," assignor to Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, acorporation of New Jersey Application April 23, 1942, Serial No. 440,227

'2 Claims. (01. 22-95) This invention relates to improvements instripper tongs for the removal of sticking hot tops from metal ingotsand the like.

Hot tops frequently stick to steel ingots and molds, making itimpossible to strip the same by the" usual expedient of lifting off witha crane. The general practice with such stickers is to swing theelevated mold, ingot and hot top against other molds, or to drop thesame quickly to the ground, in an attempt to jar the hot top loose. Suchprocedure is extremely hazardous to workmen and equipment, and is notsuccessful in many instances, it being necessary to finally free the hottop by burning with a torch. I It is an object of my invention toprovide for the removal of such sticking hot tops and the like bythepositive application of separation forces to the hot top and ingot, andefficiently utilizing the weight of the hot top, mold and ingot withoutexternally applied weight.

The invention contemplates a stripper tong suspended from a crane in theusual manner, comprising an efficient lever system capable of exertingopposite forces upon the ingot and hot top so as to separate the sameupon lifting their entire mass, the tong utilizing and multiplying thepotential force of the weight of said mass to efiect such separation.

f Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,

wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational view of an embodiment of my invention, showingthe tong in initial engagement with a hot top;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly in section, illustrating the tonginstripping position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a side view, showing a modification; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view, partly in section, of a portion of Fig. 1,showing the limited travel of the tong levers.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates an ingot mold supplied with ahot top 3, into which an ingot 4 has been poured. Such hot topsgenerally include a flanged or enlarged head 6 having oppositelydisposed lugs 8, a pair of trunnions I, being disposed adjacent thelower limits of the head 6 and the lugs 8 extending at right angles tothe trunnions adjacent the top of the head.

In the event that the hot top 3 sticks to the iii by means of a crane, Ihave provided an improved stripper tong, illustrated in the drawings inengagement with the hot top, whereby through suitable leverage, the hottop is forcibly separated from the ingot and ingot mold.

In the form of Figs. 1 through 4, the hot top 3 is shown in position onthe ingot mold with the hot top poured full, in which case the top ofthe ingot is substantially flush with the upper surface of the hot top.My stripper tong engages the top face of the ingot as by means of acentral fulcrum block 9 suspended from a crane hook H) in the followingmanner. Oppositely disposed second class levers l3 are pivoted onopposite sides of the fulcrum 9 in laterally spaced relation, as at I4,to projecting lugs Ma, said levers being suspended by their outerterminals from a supporting eye [2 by means of chains l5. ll designatesa safety chain extending from the fulcrum block 9 to the lifting eye l2.

Each of the levers l3 pivotally supports a depending hook IB, said hooksbeing in the form of stirrups freely pivoted at the-upper edges of thelevers I3 by engagement of the upper transverse portions ll of the hooksin notches I8 formed in said levers. The lever arms fromthe pivot pointsl4 of the levers to the pivotal engagement l'||8 with the hooks l6 areconsiderably less than the lever arms from said pivotal supports of thehooks 16 to the chain-actuated terminals of the levers, therebyproviding a substantial mechanical advantage upon upward pivotalmovement of the levers with respect to their common fulcrum block 9.Hence, upon engaging the hooks I6 with the hot top lugs or beneath theenlarged head of the hot top, with-levers l3 lowered as shown in Fig. 1an upward movement of the levers, as by the crane hook 10 through chains15, with the fulcrum block 9 in engagement with the top of the ingot,will exert a substantial force downwardly upon the ingot and upwardlyupon the hot top. As the entire mass of ingot mold, ingot and hot top islifted free by the crane and tong, the entire weight of said mass isconverted into a substantial separating force, stripping the stickinghot top from the ingot and mold.

For example, assuming the combined weight of the ingot and mold to beten tons, the total force stripping the hot top from the mold and ingotwill be equal to the product of said weight and the mechanical advantageobtained by the proportions of the levers I3 and their associatedlinkage. Thus, if the leverage of the pair of tong mold and ingot,resisting withdrawal thereof levers I3 is seven, the stripping forceavailabl will be equivalent to seventy tons in the above illustration.It should be noted that the ad vantage thus obtained does not materiallyincrease the load on the crane, since the total dead load upon the craneis only the weight of the mass of the ingot mold, ingot and hot top plusthe weight of the tong, the latter not appreciably exceeding the weightof the usual spreader hooks or other devices generally employed in craneoperation.

For the purpose of preventing the tongs from jack-knifing or collapsing,the fulcrum lugs M and the levers l3 are each provided with coactingfaces, as particularly shown in Fig. 6, including angularly relatedfaces a and b formed upon the end faces of the lugs I4, and a faceformed within the bifurcated ends of the levers 13, said faces coactingto function as limiting stops respectively defining the upward anddownward pivotal travel of the levers I3. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, thefaces ,b and c may become engaged upon engaging or releasing the tong,whereby the levers 13 are prevented from over-V travel and collapse .ofthe tong. Similarly, in Fig. 2, or when the tong issuspended freely, thefaces a and c coact to prevent excessive upward travel of the levers I3and thereby prevent jack-knifing of the tong. By these means, the tongis always positioned for use without manual adjustment.

The hooks 16 are provided with spaced inturned terminal lips I -9 forengagement beneath the enlarged head of the hot top, said hooks alsohaving intervening connecting straps 20 between said lips for engagementwith the hot top lugs 8', when desired, as shown in Fig. ;5 Retainerguards 2! are provided on the levers 13, extending over the pivotalengagement l 1-! 8 of hooks IS with said levers, and handles 22 areprovided on the hooks l5 for assisting the en? gagement anddisengagement of the hooks and the hot top. 7 v 5 illustrates amodification wherein the fulcrum block 9 is provided with a lowerextension -.9*, removably secured to the block 9 as by means of lugs 23and a through pin 24. The extension of the fulcrum block as shown,permits the use of my stripper tong with hot tops which have beenpouredlow or short, whereby the upper surface of the poured ingotterminates within the hot top some distance below the upper surface ofthe latter. In using the tong in this manner, the hooks I6 are engagedwith the upper pair of lugs 8, as by means of the supporting straps 20.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided a simple and efilcientstripper tong utilizing thepotential force of the weight of the mass ofthe ingot mold, ingot and sticking hot top, for stripping the latterfrom the ingot and mold. My

invention enables the stripping of troubiesome,

persistent sticking hot tops in a minimum time, and without the hazardto workmen and equipment attendant upon the former practice ofattempting to jar the hot top loose by swinging and bumping the samefrom the crane.

Various changes and modifications are contemplated within the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim: 1. A stripper tong of the character described including acentral ingot-engaging fulcrummember, a pair of opposed levers pivotedthereto, a hot top engaging hook pivotally depending from each leveradjacent the pivotal attachment of the latter with the fulcrum member,lifting chains connecting the outer ends of the levers in spacedrelation to the hooks with a common lifting eye, the levers and chainssupporting the weight of the mass carried by the hooks, said leversexerting a downward force upon the fulcrum member and ingot, and anupward force upon the hooks and hot top equal to a multiple of the forcecorresponding to the weight of said mass, said fulcrum member and levershaving coacting faces limiting the upward and downward pivotal movementof said levers to thereby prevent collapse of the tongs.

2. A stripper tong of the character described including a centralingot-engaging fulcrum member, a pair of opposed levers pivoted theretoin laterally spaced relation on opposite sides of said member, a hot topengaging hook depending from each lever adjacent the pivotal attachmentof the latter with the fulcrum member, said hooks being of stirrupformhaving transverse portions pivotally supported on their respectivelevers and having spaced inturned terminal lip the ps of ea ho k h nntervening connecting straps, lifting chains connecting the outer endsof the levers in spaced relation to the hooks with a common lifting eye,the levers and chains supporting the weight of the mass carried by thehooks, said levers ex.-

erting equal and opposite forces upon the fulcrum member and ingot, andupon the hooks and hot top, the magnitude Of-said force being a multipleof the force corresponding to the weight of said mass, said fulcrummember and levers having coacting faces limiting the upward and downwardpivotal movement, of said levers to thereby prevent collapse of thetongs.

